Mr. Thicknose
Mr. Thicknose, originally voiced by the late Robert Guillaume and later voiced by Dorian Harewood, is a character in The Land Before Time film series. He is a Pachyrhinosaurus, which is also called a "Thicknose" in the films and television series. He serves as a teacher to the children in the community of the Great Valley. Mr. Thicknose first appeared in the film The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze and later served as a regular character in the television series. Name His name reflects his species name which means "thick nose lizard" or "thick nose reptile." Other dinosaurs have been known to have species names as surnames or family names, such as Mr. Clubtail. Grandpa Longneck and Daddy Topps consistently address one another as "Longneck" and "Threehorn". Character Occupations Mr. Thicknose is, or was, a very respected individual in the Great Valley community and served as a teacher to the children of the Valley. However, his pedagogy was that of being a "know-it-all". The adults of the Valley would send him their children to receive a primary education; they assumed that Mr. Thicknose was indeed a polymath and could effectively instruct their children. However, this changed during The Big Freeze. Littlefoot proved that he saw snow; when this happened, Mr. Thicknose was verbally attacked by the grownups for not warning them before the snow got heavier. Broken hearted, he walked away to near the pass to sit down and sulk; he apparently sat for some time, judging by the snow that fell on him. He then accompanied Littlefoot and the others to the Mysterious Beyond, where they had an encounter with a "Sharptooth" and found a hot spring, with much food. There, Mr. Thicknose told them that he had never been to the Mysterious Beyond before, and his knowledge comes not from primary sources (that is, his own research) but rather from secondary sources. It is not known whether or not he resumed his teaching position after The Big Freeze; however he appeared in "The Mysterious Tooth Crisis" episode of the TV series. When Chomper's tooth fell out, the children went to Mr. Thicknose for help, so it can be assumed that the dinosaurs of the Great Valley still find his information useful and go to him when something happens with which they have no personal experience. Personality Mr. Thicknose is portrayed as an individual who deeply desires respect from his community, and he was willing to lie for many years of his life in order to gain that respect. He is also boastful, as he frequently reminds others that he is the oldest and wisest member of the Great Valley. His desire for importance possibly stems from his early childhood, as he tells Littlefoot and the others that he was very shy as a child, and lived a reclusive life. But when he heard far-walkers speaking of all the sights and experiences they had encountered, he saw a way to higher status, and began, as a young adult, pretending that he himself had lived all those experiences. Mr. Thicknose apparently has a very good memory, as he also says that when he was listening to those stories, he remembered every word. Mr. Thicknose and Daddy Topps have a strained relationship, perhaps because of Daddy Topps's treatment towards him in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze. Reception The character of Mr. Thicknose received mixed reviews from critics and reviewers of the movie, The Big Freeze. Steve Rhodes, of Rotten Tomatoes.com, thought that Robert Guillaume did a good job voicing Mr. Thicknose, and that the character was likeable, but with a few minor flaws. Dale Dobson, on Digitally OBSESSED.com, didn't mind Mr. Thicknose, but was critical of Guillaume's singing voice during "The Lesson" sequence. Interestingly, he mistook the character to be a Triceratops, rather than a Pachyrhinosaurus. On the other hand, DVD Verdict.com's review described the character as "a bit too whiny", although they once again praised Robert Guillaume's voicing role. Robert Guillaume received a nomination for Best Animated Character Performance award in 2001, for voicing Mr. Thicknose. Trivia * Mr. Thicknose claims that he never left the Great Valley in his life until the time that he left with the Gang in The Big Freeze. However, this seems to contradict the fact that presumably everyone left the Great Valley in The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving due to the fire, and again everyone left the Great Valley in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island due to the swarm leaf gobblers eating all the green food. * Mr. Thicknose probably isn't his real name. (Cera's father often went by the name of "Mr. Threehorn" until The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses, when Tria called him "Topsy" (which also may not be his real name). Category:The Land Before Time characters Category:Recurring Characters